Night vision devices are widely used in the military to provide soldiers, aviators and sailors with the ability to view objects at night or during other low light conditions. However, night vision devices traditionally have been designed to accommodate only one specific application within the military. For example, soldiers in the army are issued night vision goggles that mount to their helmets to enable the soldiers to see at night. Such night vision goggles are exemplified by the AN/PVS-7B night vision goggle system manufactured by ITT Corporation, the assignee herein (ITT Model No. F5001B). The AN/PVS-7B night vision goggle system is a binocular viewing system that mounts to a soldier's head or helmet. Although, such night vision goggle systems are good for allowing a soldier to see in the dark, that same night vision goggle system prevents the soldier from looking through the sight of his/her gun. As a result, the same soldiers that were issued night vision goggles may also require a second night vision system for their weapon. As such, during combat the soldier must remove the night vision goggles and view a target through the night vision sight attached to the soldier's gun. A typical night vision gun sight is exemplified by the AN/PVS-4 night vision weaponsight currently used by the Army. The AN/PVS-4 night vision weaponsight is also manufactured by ITT Corporation,
As can be seen, soldiers operating at night may be required to carry and operate multiple night vision systems. This adds weight and bulk to the soldiers and requires the soldier to be trained in how to properly operate and use more than one night vision system.
It is therefor an objective of the present invention to provide a single night vision device that can selectively be worn on a helmet, worn with a head mount, mounted to a gun or used as a hand held spotting scope, wherein a soldier need only carry a single lightweight night vision device and can use the night vision device as needed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multifunctional night vision device that is lightweight, simple to use, easy to manufacture, easy to repair and easy to maintain at peak performance.